


Camp Desolation

by ToastyHotPockets



Series: Camp Desolation [1]
Category: Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Attempt at Humor, Eventual Relationships, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Humor, Platonic Relationships, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn, Summer, Summer Camp, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-10-17 03:16:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10585296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToastyHotPockets/pseuds/ToastyHotPockets
Summary: "I can't believe I'm going to be stuck in this hellhole for eight weeks."





	1. First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for giving my story a chance. Of course, the beginning is always boring, so please be a bit patient. Leave feedback! It helps me with improving my writing skills! Please enjoy.

“I can’t believe I’m going to be stuck in this hell hole for eight weeks.”

“Quit being such a baby, Jamie.” My half-sister, Eden, said smiling. She punched my shoulder.

“Yeah, Jay. I thought you were the oldest.” Noah, my half brother, puts his arm around my shoulder and does the same to Eden.  

“We were left behind to a camp named ‘Camp Desolation’. Are you not concerned, ‘cause I already feel desolate,” I say, looking him in the face, and into his brown eyes that were behind thick-framed glasses.

“Jamie, how could you feel desolate when we’re with you?” Eden sounded concerned, but her grin said the opposite.

“C’mon, let’s go show this place who’s the best sibling trio in Cali-motherfucking-fornia!” He and Eden picked up their bags and started to walk to the main hall. I rolled up the sleeves of my maroon hoodie, turned my cap backwards and picked up my bags. I turned to look at the dirt road, only to see a black Acura coming and stopping abruptly. The tires screeched and a cloud of dust came my way. I felt my eyes burn and started coughing. Wiping my eyes, I started towards the same way Eden and Noah were walking.

I pushed the glass door open and walked to where the tables were set up. Eden and Noah were sitting down reading a Deadpool comic. I placed my belongings by them and walked to one of the counselors. 

“Hi, I’m counselor Adeline. Welcome to Camp Desolation!” The counselor had a light tan and brown hair and looked like she was in her early twenties. She was smiling so much that  _ my  _ cheeks started to hurt. “Now, if you would sign in, that would be great!” She handed me a clipboard and a pen. I took off my glasses and used the hem of my hoodie to wipe some of the dust off. I put my glasses back on and skimmed over the names. 

_ Hastings, Jamie - Cabin 14 _

“Just put a check next to your name.” I looked up at the counselor and raised an eyebrow. 

“That’s it?” She nodded. 

“The camp’s called ‘Camp Desolation’. I don't think people would want their kids going here. Like, seriously, would you send your kid here?” She stopped smiling.

“Only if I hated them.” I put a check next to my name.

“So, why are you here? They thought you were antisocial?” I nodded my head. 

“If not, they probably didn't want me stuck in my room for the entire summer again.”

“Hey, the camp’s not that bad. Some kids actually enjoyed it here. Maybe you will too.” I sighed.

“Probably not.”

“Well, I’ll see you around campus.” I walked back towards my siblings and sat down next to them. It was too early for this. I grabbed my duffel bag and laid my head on it. I felt tired. Tired of being judged and sooner or later, more kids will be coming and they’re gonna judge me. Again, still too early for overthinking, so I closed my eyes and hoped to fall asleep. And I almost did.

“Dude, that has to be the fifteenth time he’s broken the fourth wall!”

“Shut up, Jamie’s trying to sleep. Are you blind, Noah?”

“Oh, sorry, Jay.” I opened my eyes and sat up. 

“It’s okay. It's not like I was gonna be able to sleep. Other campers are gonna start arriving soon.” Eden laid her head on my shoulder and yawned. 

“What time is it?” I looked at my watch.

“It’s only seven o’ five, Ede.” 

“Why did uncle drop us off so early?”

“He wanted to get rid of us as soon as possible,” Noah laughed. I chuckled at his comment. 

“Yeah.” I put my arm around Eden’s shoulder and laid my head on top of hers. “Go to sleep, Ede. Camp doesn't officially start until nine.”

“Alright campers! Welcome to Camp Desolation!” A man’s voice woke the two of us up. Eden sat up and stretched as I stood up to see what was happening. “I am counselor Jonathan, I run this camp. Sorry for the wait and hopefully everyone has signed in. I suggest that the campers and parents should say their goodbyes now.” There was a murmur of goodbyes as some kids hugged their parents. Others just stood there and waited, watching. “Alright, now that that’s done, we can finally get started! As you signed in, you must’ve seen that there was a cabin number next to your name. The counselors will be holding up a sign with a number on it and you will go to your number.” I turned to face Eden and Noah.

“Ede, what’s your cabin number?”

“Fourteen.” I smiled

“You’re with me then.”

“Noah, you?”

“Sixteen.” I looked around to find the number sixteen. I found a man, who also looked to be in his twenties, who was holding up the number sixteen. 

“Over there.” I pointed towards the man. 

“Oh, thanks.” He grabs his stuff and starts walking.

“See you guys later.” Eden and I make our way to Adeline and wait with her.

* * *

 

“Alright, cabin fourteen.” Adeline takes a deep breath and walks up the stairs to the porch that connects our cabin to cabin fifteen. The wood was painted white and had two entrances; one from the porch and one from the front. Adeline twisted the handle, but the door didn’t budge. Emily had to help her by kicking the door. We entered the cabin and started to fill in the six bunk beds. The walls inside were also painted white with four windows letting in some fresh air. There was a mirror and then there was a heater, which was useful in the winter, but summer it was useless. Counselor Emily, our other cabin leader, turned on the light and claimed the bed on top of Adeline’s. The last girl walked in and had to claim the bunk on top of mine.

“Mind if I take the bunk on top?” The girl had pale skin and golden brown hair tied into a ponytail.

“I’m not stopping you, go ahead. Unless you would rather sleep on the floor.” She giggled.

“Thanks.” She threw her bags onto the top bed. “I’m Natalya, by the way.” She held her hand out.

“Jamie.” I shook her hand. “Guess we’re gonna be cabin mates for the next eight weeks.”

“Guess so.” She climbed up the ladder as I sat on my bed and started to unpack my things. There wasn’t much to unpack since it was mostly clothes, but I decided to put my Rubik's cube on the table beside our bunk bed. 

“You guys have some time to get settled in and unpack your things. We have to head over to the campfire pit by ten thirty.” I kept ruffling through my bag, trying to see if there was anything else that I needed to unpack. My hand felt the cold cover of a book and grabbed it. It was my old composition book. I opened it and skimmed through the pages seeing how my penmanship improved over the years. I saw sketches of robots I designed, the unfinished and discarded. I kept looking through and turning the pages, seeing the dates go by until it stopped. Right in the middle.

“Maybe I should start writing again,” I mumbled. Eden walked over to me and sat on the bed. 

“Is that your diary?”

“I prefer the term ‘journal’.” She sighed.

“Whatever.” I turned the page back to the last time I wrote in the composition book. 

“Excuse my profanity, but holy shit! Two thousand ten! I was fucking nine when I last wrote in this book.”

“And now you’re seventeen. Jamie, do you not remember packing your journal or something?”

“No, I don’t even remember where I put this thing. Uncle must’ve packed this before we left.”

“And you didn’t notice it was in your bag?”

“Ede, we woke up at four o’clock in the morning. How do you expect me to notice a book in a bag?” Eden shrugged. 

“I don’t know, but I’m gonna go take a nap, and when I mean a nap, I mean go on my phone.” 

“Sure, go do whatever you want.” I took out a paperback book that I was in the middle of reading of.  _ Lord of the Flies.  _ Confusing, but interesting and a classic.

“Hey, Jamie?” Natalya’s head poked out from the side of the bed. 

“Yes?”

“Wanna talk for a while? It’s getting kind of boring.” I closed my book and put it aside.

“Sure. Want me to climb up there?”

“If you want to.” I climbed the ladder and sat at the end of her bed. Her short cargo shorts exposed her legs. She sat crossed legged and played with the strings of her green and white hoodie. 

“So, what do you want to talk about?” She shrugged her shoulders.

“Have you ever been here before?” I laughed at the question.

“Why is everyone acting like this place is a prison?”

“I dunno.”

“To answer it, no, I have not been to this place. You?”

“First time, also.” We sat in silence as I looked at the bunk Eden was in. It was easy to see what she was doing since she claimed a top bunk. Eden lied ‘cause she was actually taking a nap. 

“You have any siblings?” I ask her.

“Yeah. I have a sister. Her name’s Micaela. She’s in the program, actually.”

“How old is she?”

“She’s fourteen. You got any siblings?”

“Yeah, two of them. The youngest one’s Eden, who’s sleeping over there.” I point towards the bunk across from us. Eden was sleeping atop the covers with her arms on her stomach. “Noah is the second oldest.” Natalya takes another look at Eden, who scratches her face.

“You guys look a lot alike.”

“Yeah, we do.” There was a silence that was broken by Emily.

“Cabin fourteen, it’s time we should go and head over to the campfire pit.”

“We’re going on a hike, so better grab your stuff, now.” Adeline was tying her hair back as she said this. I jumped down from the bed and grabbed my black string pack that contained my hiking stuff. I walked over to Eden’s bunk and grabbed her by the ankles.

“What the fu-I mean-- fudge!” She sat up quickly and looked at me as I let go of her ankles.

“Sorry, did I scare you?” I gave her a grin.

“No,”

“Sure,” I scoffed. I looked at the girl who was sitting on the bed under Eden. She had dark curly hair, pale skin, and black Ray-Bans. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” I walked over the exit by the porch and tried to open the door. I twisted the handle and pushed, but it was stuck. I tried pushing it multiple times, but nothing. The door and the handle were stuck. 

“Need help, Jamie?” Natalya asked.

“Nah, I got it.” I took a few steps back and charged at the door using my shoulder to bust the door open. I landed on the porch and rubbed my shoulder. I turned around to see that Natalya, Eden, Adeline, and Emily were looking at me. The other teens didn’t really care. 

 

We exited the cabin and walked to the campfire pit. We passed by the line of cabins which were on our right and the gargantuan lake to our left. Gravel crunched under our feet and you could hear the soft sound of waves crashing. I looked around and examined the camp more closely. There was one gravel path that extended out one way to the other areas of the camp. String lights were hung across the trees and cabins. There were old, wooden signs that had had the letters painted different colors for each place. For a place called Camp Desolate, it’s a really beautiful place. The forest meets the clear waterfront and shore and having the mountains as your view is perfect. I guess people are just too distracted by the name, but I like it that way. The camp wasn’t full and noisy, but a good amount of kids. I stayed at the back with Natalya as Eden made herself familiar with the other campers. 

“Okay, now that we’re all here, it’s time to officially start the first day of camp! Let me just explain some ground rules. One, during free time, no one is allowed to enter the forest unless you are with a counselor. Two, ten o’clock is lights out unless there is a special event planned. Three, for breakfast and dinner, you line up at the back of the mess hall. Four, no one is allowed to go anywhere alone, you must always be with a partner. That is all. Your cabin groups are also your hiking groups, so there shouldn’t be that many questions. As a tradition, we start the first day with a hike, so go out and have fun!” Counselor Jonathan stepped aside as the campers and counselors started walking to different trails. We had another counselor join our group, counselor Taylor. He was as rambunctious as Noah, but no one could beat Noah. Almost as immature too, always having a smile on his face and his forearm having a tattoo that spelled out Camp Desolate.

“Okay, let’s go!” Emily, Adeline and Taylor led the way and joined Noah’s group. What a coincidence. 


	2. Noah's First Dance at Camp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. I'm almost done with Chapter 3.

"Jamie, I hope you remember why I'm sending you guys to this camp." I didn't bother looking at my uncle. I kept silent and leaned on the window on the passenger's side. "Jamie, are you awake?" His deep voice was filled with concern.

"Yeah."

"Do you remember why I sent you guys to this camp?"

"No, I don't remember." I sat up and crossed my arms. He sighed.

"C'mon, Jamie. I explained this to you a few days ago." I took a deep breath. "I just don't want you to be stuck in your room the entire summer again. I want you to be more social-"

"I am social."

"I mean- like- more than one friend." I was about to cut him off again, but I was too distracted thinking about that certain friend. "Actually, it's been a while since I've heard about your social life in school. How's high school for you? Any drama?"

"No, I stay out of pointless shit. The drama would just waste my time."

"Oh, well- uh- that's good. How's your friend? What was her name? Eva? Emily? Emm-"

"Her name's Evelyn. We're not friends anymore." My uncle's face looked sadder than his usual stoic expression.

"Why? Wh-"

"Look, can we not have this conversation? It's five in the morning. You woke us up at three so you could drive us to this camp in Occidental: the middle of nowhere." Eden stirred in her sleep. I glanced at the backseat for a quick second. Eden and Noah were both knocked out. "We're talking about Occidental, here. The church from _The_ _Birds_ is less than fourteen miles away from there. I'm pretty sure Noah doesn't want to be assaulted by birds."

"Noah's not going to get assaulted by birds, Jamie. Just go to sleep. It's gonna take about another hour until we get to the camp."

"Why did you even bother driving us? Couldn't you ask one of your chauffeurs to drive us while you stayed in your massive mansion back in small town Brentwood, managing your massive company? Why'd you even buy a massive house in a place near Stockton and Pittsburg? Stockton's one of the most miserable cities out in California."

"Just go to sleep, Jamie, before you piss me off."

"Fine," I scoffed and looked out the window, watching the street lamps fly by.

\-------

"So, what high school do you go to?" I asked as climbed a tree.

"I go to Heritage in Brentwood. Nothing special."

"It's a small world. I go to Heritage too." Natalya's eyes widened in surprise.

"How have we not met each other yet?" I shrugged.

"Different interests, I guess. What clubs did you join?"

"I'm in a writing club. My I want to go to Yale and do courses in creative writing. You?"

"I'm in the robotics club."

"Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh'?" I climbed down the tree and off the branch I was perched on.

"Nothing. You just don't look like someone who's into robotics." She tried to skip a rock, but it only hit the water and sunk, causing ripples to flow outwards in all directions.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I chuckled and threw a stone, skipping multiple times on the stream.

"Nothing. You just don't look like you would be in the robotics club. You look more like a sporty person. Your lean physique and the scar on your eyebrow make you look intimidating."

"So I look like a jock. In order to be interested in engineering, you have to be weak and wimpy, have thick framed glasses that are taped and always dress formally." We both laughed.

"Well, you got the dressing formally part down." I let out a little laugh.

"Polo shirts are not that formal."

"Uh, yes, they are."

"To you they are. I use polo shirts to dress casually."

"Fine, whatever you say."

"And for your information, Eden and Noah are the ones who are into sports." She stayed in a comfortable silence, throwing nor stones into the stream.

"Can you sit with me? I'm kinda getting tired of raising my voice just to have a conversation." I climbed the rock and sat with her.

"What're we gonna talk about?

"I-I dunno, actually." We sat, both thinking of something to make this conversation continue.

"So, how about this. You can ask me questions and I answer them."

"Okay." Natalya sat and thought for a while, swinging her legs.  
"Uh- what are your dreams, Jamie. I told you that I wanted to become a writer."

"I want to got to Cornell. My uncle is the only one in my family to graduate from an Ivy League school. I want to be his successor."

"Cool." We both sat on the giant rock, close next to each other. So close, since the top of the rock wasn't that wide. It couldn't fit another person with us and we fit perfectly on it.

"Playing hide and seek in this massive forest isn't very smart."

"Shh. Don't be such a buzz kill. Summercamp's supposed to be like that."

"I didn't know it was supposed to lower my IQ by a few points, but okay." Natalya smiled at me. I smiled back. I looked down at our hands which were touching, our pinkies locked together. How did they get there? I don't know.

Her cheeks turned a light shade of pink and heat rushed to my cheeks. I quickly moved my hand away and felt my face _burn._ Maybe a small crush on Natalya had formed, but only a small one.

"We should go check and see if the others got caught." I jumped off the rock and walked around the rock.

"Uh, Jamie?"

"Yea-" Four arms wrapped around me and tackled me to the ground. My head hit the dirt and dead leaves along with the attackers. The two of them laughed as I groaned and got up.  "Eden? Kaito? What the hell is wrong is wrong with you guys?" The two laughed harder.

"You guys are terrible at hiding." Eden got up and brushed herself off.

"We got you!" Noah followed Eden.

"Yeah, got me a concussion." Noah frowned.

"Aren't you gonna get your friend? Noah and I are too tired from running and tagging everyone."

"Fine." I ran up the rock and jumped, tagging Natalya's leg. She tried to lift her leg up, but it was too late.

"We should head over to where our group leaders are." We all agreed with Noah and sprinted through the forest. Natalya and I actually wandered quite far from the meeting place. I was surprised at both how my siblings were able to find the two of us with how much distance we covered.

Everyone was at the meeting place, most sitting on the ground, others on logs and some walking around in the open space.

"There you guys are!" Emily stood up.

"Why didn't you guys help Eden and Noah find us?" Natalya asked. Taylor answered her question.

"I wanted to help them, but the Noah said he wanted to get you guys himself with Eden's help." Taylor had a pout on his face.

"Hey, she's my sister. I wanna tag her out." Noah continued to argue with Taylor about teamwork and such. Natalya looked at me while they bickered. I shot her a goofy smile causing her to laugh.

"You look so adorable with your lopsided grin." She poked me in the cheek.

"Don't call me adorable."

"But you look so goofy." She smiled as she poked my shoulder. I couldn't help but feel my smile widen as she teased me. Eden looked at me.

"Talk to me once these two stop arguing and we continue the hike back to campus." Eden talked in a serious tone. I didn't get to see her expression on her face as she walked over to our brother to help Adeline and Emily stop the fight.

The three of them were able to get the two boys to stop arguing. Emily made them stand in the middle of a circle we formed with the rest of the group and apologize in a humiliating way. The two had to say their apologies and slow dance to a song for thirty seconds.

Reminds me of how uncle made Eden and Noah forgive each other after a fight.

The idea probably came from Eden 'cause he was laughing her ass off in the background joined by Natalya and some of our other cabin mates.

"I'm not slow dancing with _another_ guy." Noah looked at Emily in disbelief. Taylor seemed chill about the entire thing until they said he had to dance with Noah.

"Yeah, I'll do anything but that."

"The more you guys stall, the more time you have to dance," was Emily's last comment.

The two had stepped in front of each other and held hands. I don't remember what song they danced to nor did I care, but I remember Natalya and Eden gasping for air and trying to hold each other up, but their attempt failed and were on the dirt trail, breathing heavily.

I couldn't blame them. The sight of Noah and Taylor dancing with faces red and avoiding eye contact might as well been the highlight of the week. Maybe even the entire summer, but we'll just have to see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you think. Constructive criticism is always welcome.


	3. Eden Rhymes with Demon

"How'd you like your dance, Noah?"

"Shut up, Eden. I know you're the one who suggested it to Adeline."  
The younger boy pouted.

"You bet I did. Next time, you guys might do the Salsa," Eden said, clearly annoying the youngest sibling.

_Ding_

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I took it out seeing that it was a text from Eden. I swiped, opening up a chat with a video. The video played, starting with Eden on the floor laughing and gasping for breath as Noah and Taylor started to dance.

"Seriously, Ede?" I say through a smile. She bursted out laughing. Noah was looking at his phone, a scowl drawn on his face. He must've gotten the video too.

"Fuck off, Eden." He shoved his phone into his pocket and started walking faster. Eden turned to face me.

"It wasn't supposed to be sent to him. Oops." She shrugged. Natalya walked up from behind me and put her hand on my shoulder.  
"I don't mean to invade your privacy, but what did she send you?" And, apparently, to our entire hiking group.

"Jeez, no wonder you two hit it off so well. You two talk alike." I shot a glare at my sister.

"It's just the video of Noah's dance." She smiled a bit at the recent memory.

"Mind if you can send it to me?"

"No problem, just put in your number." I handed her my phone and she started typing. While she was busy doing that, I noticed Eden looking at the two of us with a mischievous glint in her eyes, but I ignored it.

"Y'know, Ede, you're kind of an asshole."

"Thanks." I sigh.

"It wasn't a compliment." I felt Natalya tap my shoulder to give me back my phone.

"Here, let me send it to you now, so I won't forget later."

"Cool. Thanks." I selected the video and hit send.

"Hey, Natalya?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh- mind if I talk to Jamie? In private."

"Go ahead. She's your sister."

"Thanks. Also, the kids in our cabin want to talk to you, so..."

"Yeah, alright. Thanks for telling me." Natalya jogged up to the group ahead of us. Eden started to walk backwards to face me.

"So, Jay, I see that you and Natalya are kind of getting close, hm?" Eden gave me this shit-eating grin.

"We're just friends."

"Yeah, for now." I shrugged the comment off. "I know your secret."

"What secret?"

"You have a crush on her."

"No, I don't."

"Jay, c'mon. I know your gay. It's the 21st century."

"Eden, I don't have a crush on Natalya."

"Why'd you say Natalya? I never said anyone's name." Eden was really getting on my nerves. "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have a crush."

"Really? 'Cause what I saw at the stream seemed like you actually like her."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, you do, Jamie. I saw you look at your hands and blush."

"Alright, fine. So, what? It wasn't platonic. Get over it."

"Aww. Don't worry, Jay. It seems like she likes you too. I mean- like- she called you adorable. That's something, right?"

"Just let it go, Eden. It's the first day of camp. It's a crush. That's all it is and ever will be."

"Sure." We continued to walk at the back of the group in silence, Eden saying a few comments here and there.

"Y'know, when I told you to go fuck yourself, I didn't mean literally."

"Why are you so obsessed with my non-existent love life?"

"I-I'll tell you when the time's right."

"Oh, so now you're some sophisticated guru?"

"No, I'm just scared that you'll hate me for reminding you of something you're trying to forget."

"Eden, I have no clue on what you're talking about." I knew exactly what she was talking about. "J-Just leave me alone, okay?"

"Jamie-"

"No, Ede. Go make some new friends. You can bug me when we get home. Just stop." I didn't feel like yelling at her. I didn't need to. I needed to save my energy. There's not much left of it and it's gonna be a pretty long summer.

* * *

 

Bullseye. Taylor smiled to himself as he lowered the bow.

" And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you use a bow and arrow." He dropped the bow and walked out of the stall.

"I could do that too," Noah scoffed.

"Sure you can," Eden said, sarcasm dripping from her words. I turned to Natalya who was spacing out, looking at the target.

"You wanna go first?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, sure." She snapped out of her daydreaming and tried to put on the arm guard, slipping it on and failing miserably at inserting the straps through the plastic loop.

"Here, lemme help." I walked to her and took her forearm. I put the straps through the loop with ease and strapped on the velcro.

"It's kinda tight." I adjusted the straps and held her hand in mine. There it was again. She blushed lightly, me reciprocating the action. Probably lighter than she did.

"Better." She nods her head quickly, biting her lip.

"Thanks." I picked up the bow and handed it to her, our hands skimmed each other.

The range was pretty small. You had to walk past the mess hall and follow the trail, past the pools, past a barren area and down a few flights of stairs just to get here.

Natalya shoots an arrow. It wavers in the air and falls straight to the ground.

"Try making the release a bit quicker. Don't hesitate." She looks at me and nods.

"Yeah, okay." She pulls an arrow from the quiver and knocks it. Eden elbows me, shooting me a smile.

"Think about it, Jay."

"In your dreams, Ede."

"Yes!" We both look at the target. The arrow was in the second ring. Natalya threw her hands up and celebrated, which made me smile.

"Nice. Now, try to hit a bullseye." Her expression turned to one of disbelief.

"Ha, no thanks." She set down her bow and walked over to where were and sat next to me. "You can go in our stall if you want, Eden."

"I sure will." Natalya handed my sister the arm guard. Natalya beamed at me. I put out my hand for a high-five. She hit it. Hard. Hard enough to create a loud noise to ring out into the forest. The contact left a small stinging sensation, but I'd be four years old if I complained about it. Eden gave me a shit-eating grin again.

"If it is my dream, Jamie, my dreams will come true." My guardian demon left before I could give a retort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, constructive criticism and any feedback is welcome!


	4. New Acquaintance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 4.

There wasn't a better choice, really. Electives are always hard, even at school. It was either go back to archery, go have free time at the docks or stay at a smaller lake to go canoeing. So, I'm stuck at the docks with Eden and Natalya and the rest of my cabin group.

They let me take my journal, which I read while I sat alone on the docks. I flipped through the pages reading the messy, cursive handwriting. On each of the pages on the right, there was always a drawing of some sort of machine. Whether it was a self-twisting screwdriver or a complex automobile, the description on the left side was always filled up with ink.

"You writing in your journal?" A voice came from behind me.

"No, just looking back at it, reading and focusing on how much detail and effort I actually put in it."   The person sat down next to me, the wooden planks creaking. 

"It's really cool. Did you think of those yourselves?"

"Yeah." I turned the page.

"Kara." I turned my head to face the girl with brown eyes and hair.

"Jamie." She flashed me a smile. I reciprocated the action and turned back to the book. "I guess we're acquaintances now. Better than being complete strangers with people in my cabin group."

"Yeah." She slipped off her shoes and let her feet skim the water. The movements caused little waves to ripple out.

"I actually met someone who I'm not forced to talked to." She let out a small laugh. "I mean, well, there's one exception and it is the second day of camp. Hopefully, you haven't been lonely, have you?" The girl shook her head.

"Coincidentally, the four others in our cabin and I go to the same school."

"Aren't you lucky." I turned to a page of a robot. It seemed to be sitting down and solving a Rubik's Cube. I laughed to myself. Since I couldn't make it, I learned how to actually solve one. A speedcuber. Well, that's one more reason to add to my growing list of how I'm a nerd.

What? Natalya's gonna make one soon, so why not help her get started?

"What's even luckier is that we're all friends."

"Coincidence?"

"Big one, actually. We were talking about going to a stupid camp, then all of a sudden we are each other here. Big surprise."

"Damn." She nodded her head.

"Well, I should probably go back. My friends are probably wondering where I am."  She lifted her feet from the water and turned to slip them into her shoes, not bothering to dry them off a bit. She stands up and starts to walk, turning around once more. "You could always hang out with me," she trails off and quickly finishes her sentence. "I mean, like, if you want. I'm sure my friends wouldn't mind."

"Thanks for the offer."

"I'll see you around, I guess." I give her a small smile.

"Yeah. See you around." She turns to walk down the boardwalk, while I turn back to my journal.

I made a new... friend? No, an acquaintance. Yeah, acquaintance is the word. At least, if I'm stuck in the woods with her things wouldn't be as awkward. I hope.

\---------

People's voices filled the gargantuan hall. Laughter and chatter were all you could hear. I couldn't hear myself think.

I stood in line and grabbed a tray, used the tongs to pick up a rectangular slice of pizza and some salad from the salad bar. I sat down at the table Eden was sitting at, ruffling up her brown hair that was in a ponytail. Besides being half sisters, we look a lot alike. 

I mean, like, we have the same brown hair, same tan skin, same thick framed glasses, and the same lean physique, but that was it. We only look alike because the features that people notice is- how do I word it? It takes up the majority, I guess. You usually focus on someone's skin and hair color. The only exception is eye color, and our eyes have similar colors. Who am I kidding? Even having almost the same eye color, Eden and I look identical.

There are a few ways you could tell us apart. One way was through our different style in clothing; Eden usually wearing blue, I usually wore red or maroon. Biggest difference. One minor way was that Eden usually had this sly grin on her face. According to other people, I don't smile very often, to which I respond with nothing but a frown. 

"Hey, Jay." She has a straw in her mouth, the paper covering on the very edge. She blew and the paper flew towards me, hitting my temple. She gave me a grin. I responded with a small laugh. 

"If that was payback, consider yourself weak." 

"Just you wait," Eden scoffed. I picked up my fork and ate the salad. A tray was set down beside me, hitting the dark, wooden table. Natalya sat next to me, waving to Noah and Eden. 

"Hey." She smiled at me, playing with a napkin.

"Hay is for horses." Her smile widened. 

"No shit, Sherlock." She shook her head.

"So, second day of camp." Eden took a bite of her pizza before continuing. "Maybe you guys wanna play a game of basketball or something?" Noah's eyes immediately lit up.

"I call Eden's team!"

"Not a surprise." He sat down, then caught sight of my untouched slice of pizza and started to stare at it. I tossed the slice to him, which he caught with one hand. "Just eat it, Noah."

"Sorry. I missed breakfast today." He gave me a sheepish grin. 

"How do you- Know what? I should be used to it." I pushed my tray away. 

"You gonna play, Natalya?"  Eden leaned her head to one side to look at the girl. 

"No thanks. I think I'll just watch from the stands."

"Alright, I see how it is. You just want to see Jamie get her ass kicked in a one-on-one match against me. Pretty smart." I laughed off the comment.

"Ha, in your dreams."

"Could say the same for you." I stood up and picked up my tray.

"What time do we meet up?"

"Four o' clock."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Constructive criticism is always welcome and any feedback is much appreciated.


	5. Like Old Times

_Swish._ That was the sound I was looking for.

"Finally." I ran to the bouncing ball, using my right hand to dribble the ball between my legs. "I swear, I wasn't this bad the last time I played."

"And when was the last time you played?" Natalya spoke, sitting down on one of the two stands on the courtside.

"Um, I-I think I was in seventh grade." Natalya laughed as she laid supine on the bench in a row in the middle.

"You think?" I shrugged.

"Maybe it was in sixth grade."

"Well, you better warm up quick. Eden looks like she wants to destroy you one-on-one."

"Nah." I shot the ball from the free throw line, the ball bouncing off the rim. "Eden  _is_  gonna destroy me."

"I like being friends with people who are real and honest, but you? You are just brutal."

"The exact reason why I'm here." I took the ball and threw it at the corner of the square on the backboard.

"Because you need a filter?" She sat up.

"Ha ha, very funny." I walked to the stands, sitting down in the first row. "And no. Filters are made for water."

"Didn't you say you came here because you had no friends?"

"Yeah. And why exactly do you think I have no friends? It's because most people can't handle the hard truth."

"Oh." She stood up and hopped down a few rows so that she was one row above me.

"Their egos go through the roof. They don't know how to deal with the truth 'cause they're so perfect: a lie."

"Yeah. I guess it's just how they were raised."

"Someone needs to tell them to get off their high horse, 'cause I'm fucking sick of it."

"Well, you're not one for patience." I laughed.

"That's because I wasted all of it on people who didn't matter." I stood up and threw the ball as hard as I could to the basket. The ball bounced off of the backboard, leaving a little dent in it.

"Geez, Jay. I didn't know you were that hyped up about a basketball match." I turned around to see that Eden was a few yards away.

"Hurry up. Let's play while there's still some anger pent up inside of me."

"How many matches do you want?"

"One. You and Noah can play all you want, but I'm not gonna waste my time." Eden ran off to get the ball just as Noah walked over to us from the dirt path. 

"Hey, sis."

"I'm leaving after one game." 

"A 'hi, Noah' would've been nice." He took a seat on the bench. 

"Hi. Happy now?" He nodded. I looked a Natalya, who was pointing behind me. I turned around and was met with a ball hitting my arm.

"Ow!" The ball bounced up, letting me catch it.

"C'mon, Jay. I'm ready to beat you." She turned around and walked to the halfcourt line.  I followed behind her. I passed the ball to her.

"Check. First to eleven." She passed the ball back with more force, a grin planted on her face. 

"This'll be easy. You've been out of the picture for over seven years." I started to dribble the ball, walking to the three point line. Eden was guarding the free throw line. I took the shot. It banked in, almost bouncing out.

"Lucky shot." She took the ball and jogged to half court.

"Yeah, you're right. Everything is just a matter of luck." She dribbled past me and went in for a layup.  

"2-1. Better stop babbling, Jay." She threw the ball at me. I caught it with ease. 

"Ironic." I walked to the free throw line, then ran to the rim, jumping up to dunk the ball. I hung on the rim, landing inside of the key. "You're the one running your mouth." We repeated the routine of going to the half court line. I missed one dunk, Eden missed a three-point shot. I won 10-11. 

"How the hell did you win?" Eden threw the ball to Noah.

"Your ego and big head must've weighed you down." I smiled at her.

"Shut up. Well, it's good to see that some things don't change. Hopefully, I'll beat you before I die."

"Y'know, Eden-" we watched Noah make a shot with his ugly shooting form. 

"I'm listening."

"You clearly have more knowledge about the sport and how the game's played. Maybe you'd win if you'd actually use it." Eden rolled her eyes.

"And you say I have a massive ego." Natalya jumped off her seat.

"Mind if I come with you? I have nowhere else to go." I nodded my head.

"My uncle signed me up to be a lifeguard, so I'll be hanging out at the pool. That alright with you?"

"Yeah."

"Bye, Ede. Make sure you fix Noah's shooting form. It gets worse every time I see him do it." Eden laughed.

"He's been doing this for years, but I'll try."  Natalya and I  walked down the path back to the cabins. We made it halfway through in silence.

"Have you guys always been this competitive?"

"Yeah. People aren't kidding when they talk about sibling rivalries."

"It would be nice to know what it was like." I chuckled.

"Trust me, you don't. It's a constant fight." We came across a small little cliff. I jumped down. I held my hand out for Natalya. She took it and jumped down.

"They seem pretty cool. I had friends where their sibling would torture them and vice-versa."

"Yeah, they are. The only thing is that if any girl would flirt with Eden, she'd flirt right back. She doesn't know how to choose."

"She does seem like a total flirt. She might have been flirting with Raelyn."

"The one who's always with Kara?"

"Yeah. Raelyn's kinda into her, though."

"Even if Eden makes terrible choices, Noah makes her decisions look brilliant." Natalya laughed.

"Why's that?" I chuckled again.

"He would spend all of his money on Rick Owens cargo pants."

"Oh, god."

"Yeah, I know." We reached our cabin. I opened the door for her. I changed out of my basketball shorts and into khaki shorts, a plain red crewcut shirt and black converse: my "uniform".

"That's your uniform?"

"Yeah. Think they're supposed to give me something else." I exited the cabin with Natalya. "Maybe you should sign up to be a lifeguard. Make my life a little easier."

"Only if they let me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! As always, constructive criticism and any feedback is welcome!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave any feedback and leave kudos if you enjoyed. They inspire me to write! :)


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